Pewbeam Documentation
Pewbeam is a desktop app that detects Bible verses in real time during sermons and displays them on screen. It listens to the sermon, identifies scripture references — whether quoted directly or paraphrased — and presents the matching verse on your broadcast output.
Start here
How Pewbeam works
Pewbeam combines speech-to-text transcription with AI-powered Bible verse detection. Here's what happens under the hood:
- Audio capture — Pewbeam captures audio from your selected microphone or audio interface
- Live transcription — The audio is transcribed in real time using Deepgram (online) or MLX-Whisper (offline, macOS only)
- Verse detection — The transcript is analyzed for Bible references using direct pattern matching and AI semantic search across 31,000+ verses
- Display — Detected verses appear in your queue and can be sent to your broadcast output with a single click
Installation
Download the latest version of Pewbeam from pewbeam.com. Pewbeam is available for macOS and Windows.
Run the installer and follow the prompts. On first launch, Pewbeam will set up its internal components (embedding server, Bible translations, etc.). This may take a minute.
Your first session
When Pewbeam opens, you'll see the main dashboard with six panels:
| Panel | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Live Transcript | Top left | Shows the real-time transcription of the sermon |
| Preview | Top center-left | Shows how the verse will look before going live |
| Live Output | Top center-right | Shows what's currently being broadcast |
| Queue | Top right | Verses waiting to be displayed |
| Scripture Search | Bottom left | Look up verses by reference or topic |
| AI Detections | Bottom right | Verses automatically detected from the sermon |
To get started:
- Click Start Transcript in the Live Transcript panel
- Select your microphone when prompted (or set it in Settings beforehand)
- Start speaking or play a sermon — detected verses will appear in the AI Detections panel
- Click the play icon on any detected verse to send it to Preview
- Press L or click Go Live to broadcast it
Transcription
Pewbeam transcribes sermon audio in real time and uses the transcript to detect Bible verses. There are two transcription modes:
Online mode (Deepgram)
The default mode. Audio is streamed to Deepgram's cloud service for transcription using their Nova-3 model. This provides the best accuracy and lowest latency. Requires an internet connection. Available on all plans.
Offline mode (MLX-Whisper)
For situations where internet access is unreliable. Uses Apple's MLX framework to run Whisper Large V3 Turbo locally on your Mac. Requires Apple Silicon (M1+). Available on Plus and Core plans. No internet required during use.
Microphone setup
Select your audio input device in Settings > Microphone. Pewbeam lists all available input devices and remembers your selection between sessions. You can also adjust the Input Gain slider (0–100%).
Confidence indicators
| Level | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| High (green) | 80%+ | Very accurate transcription |
| Medium (yellow) | 60–80% | Mostly accurate, some words may be off |
| Low (red) | Below 60% | Noisy audio or unclear speech |
Free plan limits
The free plan includes 60 minutes of transcription per week. You'll see a warning at 55 minutes. When the limit is reached, transcription stops automatically but manual Bible search continues to work. The limit resets every Sunday.
Bible verse detection
Pewbeam detects Bible verses in two ways, and combines the results for maximum accuracy.
Direct reference detection
When the speaker says something like "Turn to John chapter 3 verse 16", Pewbeam picks up the reference immediately using pattern matching. Works for standard references, spoken references, abbreviated books, and context-aware references. Detection is near-instant (under 5ms).
Semantic search (AI detection)
When the speaker quotes or paraphrases scripture without giving a reference, Pewbeam uses AI to find the matching verse. The system converts spoken text into an embedding and searches a pre-built index of 31,000+ Bible verses. Takes 200–400ms for new queries; common queries are cached for near-instant results.
Confidence scores
| Type | Score Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct references | 90–100% | Near-certain matches |
| Semantic matches | 35–89% | Higher = closer match to verse content |
| High confidence | 80%+ | Auto-queued and displayed in Auto mode |
| Below threshold | < 35% | Filtered out, not shown |
Bible search
The Scripture Search panel lets you look up verses manually. Toggle between two modes with the Tab key.
Book mode
Look up a specific verse when you know the reference. Type a book name, chapter, and verse — Pewbeam autocompletes book names as you type. Use number keys (0–9) to jump to a specific verse.
Context mode
Find a verse by topic, theme, quote, or paraphrase. Uses the same AI-powered semantic search as automatic detection — searching "God's love for humanity" will find John 3:16 even though those exact words aren't in the verse.
Supported translations
| Translation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| King James Version | KJV |
| New King James Version | NKJV |
| New International Version | NIV |
| New Living Translation | NLT |
| English Standard Version | ESV |
| New American Standard Bible | NASB |
Display modes
Pewbeam has two display modes, configurable in Settings > Display Mode.
Auto mode
Pewbeam automatically displays the highest-confidence detected verse on your broadcast output. A 2.5-second cooldown between verse changes prevents rapid flickering. Best for hands-off operation.
Manual mode
Nothing goes to broadcast until you explicitly send it. Detected verses still appear in the AI Detections panel and queue, but you decide which ones to display and when. Best for important services.
Themes
Themes control how verses look on screen — fonts, colors, backgrounds, positioning, and effects.
Built-in themes
Pewbeam includes built-in themes ready to use: Selah (image background with gold accents) and Eden (gradient background with green accents). Additional themes are available on Plus and Core plans. You can duplicate built-in themes and customize the copy.
Theme Designer
Create and edit custom themes with the visual theme designer. Open it from the paintbrush icon in the top bar. The designer has three panels:
Theme Library (left)
Browse and manage all your themes. Create new themes, import/export, search, and filter by All, Pinned, or Custom.
Design Canvas (center)
A live 1:1 preview at 1920x1080. Zoom, pan, and select elements for editing. What you see is what your audience sees.
Properties Panel (right)
Three tabs — Text, Background, and Layout. Control fonts, colors, shadows, gradients, images, positioning, and spacing.
Broadcast output
Pewbeam can send your verse display to external broadcast software and displays using several output methods.
NDI
NDI lets you send Pewbeam's output to any NDI-compatible software on your network — OBS, vMix, Resolume, ProPresenter. Appears as "Pewbeam main". Supports alpha transparency, configurable FPS (24/30/60), and resolutions up to 4K.
HDMI
Send output directly to a projector or external monitor. Connect the display, select it in the Broadcast panel, and enable HDMI output. Pewbeam opens a fullscreen, borderless window on the selected display.
Dual output channels
On the Core plan, Pewbeam supports two independent output channels — Main (e.g., in-room projector) and Alternate (e.g., livestream overlay). Each can have its own theme.
Remote control
Pewbeam can be controlled remotely using OSC and HTTP API protocols.
OSC (Open Sound Control)
Pewbeam listens for OSC messages on UDP port 8000.
| OSC Address | Parameters | Action |
|---|---|---|
| /pew/next | — | Next verse |
| /pew/prev | — | Previous verse |
| /pew/show | — | Show verse |
| /pew/hide | — | Hide verse |
| /pew/theme | string | Set theme by name |
| /pew/opacity | float (0–1) | Set verse opacity |
| /pew/confidence | float (0–1) | Set detection threshold |
| /pew/on_air | bool | Toggle on-air status |
HTTP API
Pewbeam runs a local HTTP server on port 8080.
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
| /api/health | GET | Health check |
| /api/status | GET | Current broadcast state |
| /api/control | POST | Send control commands (JSON body) |
Sermon notes
Generate structured notes from your sermon transcripts using AI. Available on Plus and Core plans.
Pewbeam's AI extracts and organizes: title, topic, structured sections, key points, scripture references, quotes, and practical applications. The AI only uses content explicitly stated in the sermon.
Generating notes
- Open Transcript History
- Click the sparkle icon on a transcript card
- Choose your format — PDF, Word (.docx), or Markdown
- Notes generate in about 6–7 seconds
- Save dialog opens — choose your destination
Keyboard shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle search mode | Tab | Switch between Book and Context mode |
| Toggle live sync | L | Turn live broadcast sync on or off |
| Present verse | Enter | Send selected verse to Preview |
| Present & go live | Enter (2x) | Send to Preview and enable live sync |
| Jump to verse | 0–9 | Jump to verse number while viewing a chapter |
| Exit text input | Escape | Blur text field so shortcuts work again |
Plans & pricing
| Feature | Free | Plus ($15/mo) | Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live verse detection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bible search (6 translations) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transcription | 60 min/week | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Themes | 2 built-in | All + custom | All + custom |
| Watermark | Yes | No | No |
| NDI / HDMI output | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sermon notes (AI) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Dual output channels | — | — | Yes |
| Multi-device | — | — | Yes |
| Offline transcription | — | Yes | Yes |
| Priority support | — | — | Yes |
System requirements
macOS
- macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
- Apple Silicon (M1+) required for offline transcription
- Intel Macs supported for all other features
Windows
- Windows 10 (64-bit) or later
- x64 processor required (32-bit not supported)
General
- 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
- 500 MB disk space
- Internet connection for online transcription and sermon notes
Troubleshooting
Transcription isn't working
- Check that your microphone is selected in Settings > Microphone
- Make sure the audio level meter shows activity when you speak
- If using online mode, verify your internet connection
- Try restarting transcription (stop and start again)
Verses aren't being detected
- Ensure transcription is active and working
- Speak clearly and at a normal pace
- Check that the embedding server is running (status indicator on startup)
- Direct references are detected faster and more reliably than paraphrased quotes
NDI output not appearing in OBS/vMix
- Make sure NDI output is enabled in the Broadcast panel
- Both devices must be on the same network
- Check that your broadcast software has NDI plugin support installed
- Look for "Pewbeam main" in your software's source list
HDMI output not working
- Verify the external display is connected (check Identify Monitors)
- Pewbeam won't open HDMI output on your primary display
- Try disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable
App is slow or unresponsive
- Close other memory-heavy applications
- Make sure you're on the latest version
- Restart Pewbeam
- Consider reducing broadcast FPS from 60 to 24
FAQ
Can I use Pewbeam without internet?
Yes. Bible search and verse display work entirely offline. Transcription requires internet in online mode (Deepgram), but you can use offline transcription (MLX-Whisper) on macOS with Apple Silicon.
Does Pewbeam work with any Bible translation?
Pewbeam currently supports six translations: KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, ESV, and NASB. Additional translations may be added in future updates.
Can I use Pewbeam with ProPresenter/EasyWorship?
Yes. Use NDI output to send Pewbeam's verse display to any NDI-compatible software. You can also use OSC for remote control or HDMI for direct display.
Is my sermon data stored or sent anywhere?
Sermon transcripts are stored locally on your device. Online transcription audio is processed by Deepgram and is not stored. Sermon notes generation sends transcript text to OpenAI for processing.
What happens when my free plan limit is reached?
Live transcription pauses, but manual Bible search and verse display continue to work normally. The limit resets weekly.
Can multiple people control Pewbeam during a service?
On the Core plan, you can use Pewbeam on multiple devices. You can also use the HTTP API or OSC protocol from another device on the same network.
Best practices
Audio setup
- Use a direct audio feed — connect a USB audio interface to your church's mixing board for the cleanest audio.
- If you must use a microphone, place the laptop as close to the speaker system or pulpit as possible.
- Adjust gain so the audio level meter shows green/yellow activity, not red.
During a service
- Start transcription early — begin before the sermon starts to capture context.
- Use Manual mode for important services. Auto mode is great for rehearsal or informal settings.
- Pre-load key verses in the queue using Bible search before the service starts.
Theme design
- Test on your actual display — colors and fonts look different on a projector vs. laptop screen.
- Keep it readable — large fonts, high contrast, and simple backgrounds.
- Use built-in themes as starting points — duplicate and modify.
Network & connectivity
- Use wired internet when possible — more reliable than WiFi for low-latency transcription.
- Have a backup plan — offline transcription, mobile hotspot, or pre-loaded verses.
- Test before the service — run a quick check 10–15 minutes before.